4 minute read
Contract cleaning industry trends and challenges
By Greg Venter
The contract cleaning industry plays an important role in job creation in South Africa. Almost 100,000 people are employed by approximately 1,500 contract cleaning companies. These companies provide services for numerous industries ranging from commercial, education, and healthcare to the mining and industrial sectors.
Trends in the cleaning industry change continuously as the needs of modern businesses evolve. It is essential for contract cleaning companies to stay up to date with these trends and adapt their practices to accommodate the unique demands of their customers.
Healthier indoor environments are one of the most defining trends in the cleaning industry today, driven by increased public awareness over health. In the past, many cleaning companies were contracted mainly for appearance. Today, however, cleaning companies are increasingly more focused on cleaning to create healthier indoor environments.
In addition to increased public focus, there are a variety of regulatory agencies and standards that impact contract cleaning companies. In order to remain compliant with the rules, cleaning companies rely on technology, products, and procedures that meet the stipulated health and safety standards. These factors are the determiner for facilities moving towards greener, environmentally friendly products that don’t leave behind chemical residues that impact air quality.
The future of companies is increasingly gearing towards sustainability. Sustainability is not only developing eco-friendly products and technologies, but more of a deeply rooted concept in corporate culture and identity. Companies like IPC contribute annually to minimising electricity usage and maximising the use of recycled plastics with their Black is Green™ technology used in the production of their vacuum cleaners.
With the modern marketplace introducing new competition practically daily, more businesses across all industries are looking for ways to simplify their processes and cut costs. For this reason, many companies consolidate the number of vendors they utilise, including those used for various cleaning services. One vendor means one point of contact and one invoice.
This makes it essential for cleaning companies to provide value-added services, such as expanding service offerings, providing specialised training, or investing in new technologies to improve quality and efficiency.
The biggest threat to the industry is insourcing. Some companies choose this route to save money, without realising that equipment is expensive, extra staff need to be employed and cleaning materials must be bought. Other common market challenges faced by contract cleaners today include labour (finding and keeping good employees), productivity (cleaning efficiency), budget (achieving more at lower costs) and safety (protecting both employees and customers). However, the desire to provide clean, safe work environments, and move towards green cleaning, drives towards growth.
Looking at productivity and budget, the cleaning industry has seen a major shift in customer expectations. The trend of cleaning for health forces professional cleaning companies to be more thorough in their processes to provide more effective services. It is vital for cleaning companies to find ways to improve efficiency to remain effective without increasing service turnaround times.
Investing in effective cleaning equipment allows cleaning companies to boost efficiency without impacting quality. Choosing the right equipment for their requirements is essential for those companies wanting to improve commercial cleaning productivity. Working with distributors like Goscor Cleaning Equipment allows the customer access to a wide selection of cleaning equipment across a variety of industries at affordable prices, with maintenance plan options, product training and support.
Ultimately, if contract cleaning businesses want to remain competitive in the modern marketplace, they need to stay up to date with industry trends. Working proactively by addressing market challenges while taking advantage of new opportunities, will keep the company profitable even during economic downturns. The key to staying productive, efficient and consistent is utilising the cleaning technologies available.
Greg Venter is MD of Goscor Cleaning Equipment, part of the Goscor Group of Companies. This foremost cleaning equipment provider prides itself in providing the ultimate cleaning solution from a wide range of quality world-class brands to suit almost every cleaning application.
